914-6/904 project begins Options

[Steve]

Nothing personal, but how are you going to transform that tube frame thing to not look hideous on the inside of the 904? Must be planning on doing a lot of cutting and reforming of the structure. Do you have any plans that you can share? I am also a big fan of the 904 and I wish that Beck would of made his into production like his 550 spyder. Would of been an awesome kit car if the price was right.

[Unobtanium-inc]

Nothing personal, but how are you going to transform that tube frame thing to not look hideous on the inside of the 904? Must be planning on doing a lot of cutting and reforming of the structure. Do you have any plans that you can share? I am also a big fan of the 904 and I wish that Beck would of made his into production like his 550 spyder. Would of been an awesome kit car if the price was right.

I talked to Chuck Beck a few days ago about another car but mentioned my project, he liked the idea but did point out a couple of pitfalls. My guess would be he looked into using 914's also.
I am hoping to keep some of the roll bar in place since I may have to cut the Factory bar, but I won't know until I start fitting.

[carr914]

Chuck is cool but quite the oddball. As many success's as he's had, there have been just as many failures

The Beck 914 was OK, I still have a Kit, but impossible to ship. The Ford Shogun was cool but he he took too many shortcuts.

[Steve]

Chuck Beck also did a really nice 904 replica. According to his web site he is selling the whole thing minus drive train.
http://www.beck904.com/sales/

[carr914]

Chuck Beck also did a really nice 904 replica. According to his web site he is selling the whole thing minus drive train.
http://www.beck904.com/sales/

It is/was a very nice kit. As long as you don't buy his personal one. Wicked fast, but I saw him basically four-wheeling it at Road Atlanta infield after I talked to him about the Beck 914 at a Petit LeMans

[rick 918-S]

I had the opportunity to check out his personal car in LV at a Porsche shop JP and I visited. I really don't car what you do to a 914 chassis it will never impress anyone like the work Chuck did on that chassis. Here's an idea, pull the driveline from the IMSA car, sell the roller chassis and the 904 shell you bought and just buy one of Chucks rollers. No need to reinvent the wheel.

[carr914]

BINGO

[Unobtanium-inc]

I had the opportunity to check out his personal car in LV at a Porsche shop JP and I visited. I really don't car what you do to a 914 chassis it will never impress anyone like the work Chuck did on that chassis. Here's an idea, pull the driveline from the IMSA car, sell the roller chassis and the 904 shell you bought and just buy one of Chucks rollers. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Rick, I think I had a good idea for you a couple of pages back.

[rgalla9146]

I'll bet there are some sporty guys in this country who would love to own a an old racecar,
maybe a Porsche that once raced in a seminal series.
Maybe a car that was developed by three revered names in the American Porsche pantheon.
Events could be organized where they could go to run such cars and enjoy them as they were meant to be used. East coast, west coast and in between.
A great name would have to be found for such events.
A name that's simple but evocative, maybe a bit European.
Something like Rennsport Reunion ?
Nah.... it'll never fly.

[theleschyouknow]

I had the opportunity to check out his personal car in LV at a Porsche shop JP and I visited. I really don't car what you do to a 914 chassis it will never impress anyone like the work Chuck did on that chassis. Here's an idea, pull the driveline from the IMSA car, sell the roller chassis and the 904 shell you bought and just buy one of Chucks rollers. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Rick, I think I had a good idea for you a couple of pages back.

awww... don't make me look for it -quote it!

I got no dog in the hunt I appreciate the cars history but it's your car so ...

this thread is awesome I thought it was just gonna be a cool/interesting build thread but this much fun before the build has even started
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[Chris914n6]

I am hoping to keep some of the roll bar in place since I may have to cut the Factory bar, but I won't know until I start fitting.

That should be easy to measure using the floorboard as a reference. You could even use pvc pipe as a cheap mockup.

...just buy one of Chucks rollers. No need to reinvent the wheel.

At $60k there is some motivation to look at options. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I'll bet there are some sporty guys in this country who would love to own a an old racecar

Me, yes, but no, can't afford it, but I would really like to see it saved. I've got a 72 4lug autoX car I could barter with, but it would require a bunch of Members volunteering to make it happen.
Makes me want to ask, what was wrong with dug's deal?

[Unobtanium-inc]

Chris-
I explained what didn't work with Dug's deal previously and don't really want to re-hash since Dug took offense to our different view points on the merits of the deal.

I've also explained why I didn't buy a Beck in a previous post, so don't want to re-visit that either.

I think at this point everyone who agrees or dis-agrees with my decisions has made their voice known, can we just move forward on the details of the build now?

To date no one has come up with an alternative that I am comfortable with and after months in the planning stages, and the hurry up and wait stages, or can't find a car stages, I would like to just enjoy my build and I encourage those who would like to follow the progress to check back here for updates.

To the rest of you who are just re-hashing the same resistance to my build, please only post if you have something new to contribute, just taking jabs and being sarcastic is getting tiresome. I've tried to be cool here, listening and responding to everyone on their opinions, but I'm really not sure how to respond to some of you guys who are just being obnoxious.

I am hoping to keep some of the roll bar in place since I may have to cut the Factory bar, but I won't know until I start fitting.

That should be easy to measure using the floorboard as a reference. You could even use pvc pipe as a cheap mockup.

...just buy one of Chucks rollers. No need to reinvent the wheel.

At $60k there is some motivation to look at options. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I'll bet there are some sporty guys in this country who would love to own a an old racecar

Me, yes, but no, can't afford it, but I would really like to see it saved. I've got a 72 4lug autoX car I could barter with, but it would require a bunch of Members volunteering to make it happen.
Makes me want to ask, what was wrong with dug's deal?

[dug]

Equally strange is that the 'historic' bodywork for the car is sitting neglected outside in the elements, thousands of miles from the chassis.

This is the kind of anal hypocrisy that gives preservationists a bad name.

I'll be following your build, good luck with it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

I assure you the original bodywork and the one-of-a-kind rear wing is not stored outside in the elements. That photo was just a "quick put the body work on the car" shot taken the moment after it arrived. It's all locked up tight until I get the chassis ready.

[Dave_Darling]

Weren't the originals all beefy 4-cylinders with DOHC, except for a few limited run 904/6s?

From my reading, the 904 was designed from the outset to use a version of the 901's six-cylinder motor. But they had problems making the engines--either making enough of them to satisfy demand, or making them race-worthy, so they switched to the tried-and-true Fuhrman four-cam. Eventually, they were able to use the six-cylinder engines that they had originally planned to, and of course there were the one or two that wound up with the early flat-eight motors.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drooley.gif)

The 906 was a very different beast. The only thing it had in common with the 904 was the suspension uprights, because the Doctor insisted they use the parts that had been bought for possible future 904 construction. The rest was almost completely a clean-sheet design.

--DD

[Johny Blackstain]

From my reading, the 904 was designed from the outset to use a version of the 901's six-cylinder motor. But they had problems making the engines--either making enough of them to satisfy demand, or making them race-worthy, so they switched to the tried-and-true Fuhrman four-cam. Eventually, they were able to use the six-cylinder engines that they had originally planned to, and of course there were the one or two that wound up with the early flat-eight motors.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drooley.gif)

The 906 was a very different beast. The only thing it had in common with the 904 was the suspension uprights, because the Doctor insisted they use the parts that had been bought for possible future 904 construction. The rest was almost completely a clean-sheet design.

--DD

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[Unobtanium-inc]

Weren't the originals all beefy 4-cylinders with DOHC, except for a few limited run 904/6s?

From my reading, the 904 was designed from the outset to use a version of the 901's six-cylinder motor. But they had problems making the engines--either making enough of them to satisfy demand, or making them race-worthy, so they switched to the tried-and-true Fuhrman four-cam. Eventually, they were able to use the six-cylinder engines that they had originally planned to, and of course there were the one or two that wound up with the early flat-eight motors.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drooley.gif)

The 906 was a very different beast. The only thing it had in common with the 904 was the suspension uprights, because the Doctor insisted they use the parts that had been bought for possible future 904 construction. The rest was almost completely a clean-sheet design.

--DD

In Sept and Oct I am going to see and photograph both a 904 and a 906, so once I do that I can report back about differences.

[Johny Blackstain]

Found this thread in another forum- this guy appears to have built his replica 904 from scratch. Lots of very interesting info & pics:

http://forums.early911sregistry.org/forums...ca-build-thread

[Dave_Darling]

In Sept and Oct I am going to see and photograph both a 904 and a 906, so once I do that I can report back about differences.

I believe you'll find that the 904 has something approaching a unit-body design, where a floor pan and lower panels were pressed from steel and welded together, then the plastic body bonded on top of that. (Trivia: Body by Heinkel, the aircraft builders!)

The 906 had a tubular space-frame, and the plastic body was attached to that.

Very different animals...

--DD

[gms]

In Sept and Oct I am going to see and photograph both a 904 and a 906, so once I do that I can report back about differences.

I believe you'll find that the 904 has something approaching a unit-body design, where a floor pan and lower panels were pressed from steel and welded together, then the plastic body bonded on top of that. (Trivia: Body by Heinkel, the aircraft builders!)

The 906 had a tubular space-frame, and the plastic body was attached to that.

Very different animals...

--DD

The 904 floor is fiberglass the frame is steal

[gms]

This will be the real challenge